The secret of the sirens song
by serioustunas
Summary: Alfred was pretty sure that Arthur was some kind of criminal on the run, even if he couldn't remember his past. Then again, Alfred did find Arthur stranded next to a ship wreck. Now that Arthur is officially part of the crew, Alfred is determined to find out who the heck he is. Usuk. Summary is terrible.
1. Chapter 1

Not much to say about this, aside that its hard to write a summary without giving stuff away *crying*.

* * *

Alfred loved sailing. Whether it was the bright blue skies, or the mysterious depths of the seas, every day was a new adventure. When he dreamed of being a pirate as a child, he didn't quite expect his wish to come true. Of course, being a pirate was a lot harder than a young boy's dream, and having a bounty wasn't the only issue. There was the issue of not having enough gold to buy a new sail, and Alfred missed having dry clothes, but it was worth it, even if seeing the glimpse of a mermaid's tail was the highlight of his day. Currently, there had been no mermaids, so Alfred was just gazing out dreamily at the sea.

"Oi, dream boy" a sudden voice spoke behind him. He turned to face Gilbert, a feisty albino who seemed to have a tiny bird follow him everywhere.

"What's up?" Alfred asked, raising a brow. The captain, Antonio, had already set a course straight to the nearest docks, but there was still a few days left the voyage.

Gilbert shrugged. "Antonio said something about mermaids. 'Said something to do with imminent death or whatever." Alfred looked the albino up and down, checking if he was joking, but concluded that he was actually being serious for once. He let out a short sigh.

"Right. Captains office." He said, before trotting off to find the Spaniard.

Upon arriving, he knocked on the door before pushing it open. The simply dressed captain was sat on a large wooden chair, elbows resting on the desk in front of him. He was gazing at a large map with a tiny model ship showing their current location along with a model house, showing the docks they were to arrive at.

"A map? I'm not your navigator, Antonio. What's up?" he questioned. He took a seat opposite the captain. Antonio huffed.

"I'm conflicted. Right ahead of us, here" – he waved at grey patch of sea just in front of the model boat – "is Siren territory. I don't want to deal with them again. It didn't go too well last time, but we do need to dock soon. Francis will go mad if we don't buy him more wine, and we are dangerously low on water" he said, rubbing his temples.

Alfred shrugged, replying "let's just chance the short route. We can deal with some Sirens; we only lost the cabin boy last time."

The captain sighed, shaking his head. "I trust you. But if someone dies, you will not be leaving this ship, understand?" he said, a serious look covering his face.

Alfred nodded and flashed a smile. "Sure, I won't fail you – I'm first mate for a reason!"

* * *

Alfred was atop the crow's nest, clutching a copper telescope embedded with tiny sapphires. It was a gift from his twin brother, Matthew, as a goodbye present just before his first month on the old ship. Alfred considered it a lucky charm and took it virtually everywhere with him. To Alfred, the telescope was worth more than any amount of money in the world.

As it was becoming nightfall, a thick fog swam into the air and the boat began to move more slowly as the wind died down. The air was still and sound easily echoed into between the small scattered islands where the sirens lived.

Luckily, he hadn't even seen a small fish swim by, so everything was quiet. He smiled, happy that everything was going according to plan. He trusted his gut, and his gut said that tonight they would be ok.

For once, his gut was wrong. The crews luck ran out about halfway into siren territory, when sure enough a faint singing started to echo around the area. The voice was delicate and although he could not hear the words, Alfred wanted to get closer and see who was singing. It was hard to tell anything else about it, aside that it was far away and gradually coming closer ever so slowly. Alfred frowned, looking down at the deck. Gilbert and his brother, Ludwig, where talking on the deck, leaning over the boats edge. No one else was about, as they were sleeping in preparation to take the night shift. Alfred leaned down, flapping his hand towards the captains room. The two brothers seemed to get the message, nodding at Alfred and heading inside the ship to alert the captain.

The boat travelled on silently, as the song became louder and louder. Even though it was louder, he could still not make out what was being sung. This meant two things; the voice wasn't directed at him and there was someone else out there in the dark. He thought for a moment, before taking out some earplugs made from corks and putting them in his ears.

"Better safe than sorry," Alfred muttered under his breath. He took out his telescope again, peering at a distant island. It was pointless as the night fog was now almost too thick to see through, but it gave the blond a little comfort.

He waited a few more minutes as the boat travelled on silently. Gilbert and Ludwig had come back out, and were nervously waiting at either side of the boat. Alfred could quietly hear the song now, although the ear plugs blocked most of the sound. He had given up on using the telescope and instead was just peering out into the dark. In the distance, a small speck around the size of a flea appeared. It was orange and flickered, and Alfred soon connected the dots that it was a fire.

"The fuck…?" he mumbled under his breath. He scrambled quickly down from the crows nest, running towards one end of the boat to get closer. It was definitely a fire, and after quickly removing an ear plug he realised the singing was coming from there.

Alfred squinted, and he could see the fire getting closer. He fumbled for his telescope, which was safely tucked in his belt, and peered at the fire. It took him a moment to realise that it was a ship that had crashed into the island. It seemed a lot smaller than theirs, possibly a gunboat or a fishing vessel. The mast was on fire, the flames licking at the deck below and creating a bright beacon in the dark night. He couldn't see any signs of life – human or otherwise - and what the fire had lit on the island seemed deserted. He frowned, wishing the telescope could zoom more so that he could see what was happening. Surely there had to be someone who lived it? Perhaps they jumped out? The idea dawned on him that a siren must have used its magic to lure the boat over only to be ripped to shreds by the tide and rocky shallow waters.

Alfred was almost glad the other ship had crashed. If it hadn't of been there, then the sirens might of taken an interest in their boat instead. Still, he felt guilty that he couldn't help them – even if they were dangerous pirates. Sirens were said to kill and eat their prey alive, the books on them made it pretty clear to stay out of their way. He really hoped someone had lived, so that he could help them and find out more about the creatures.

He peered through the telescope again. There was a patch of the sail that wasn't on fire. It looked like it was caught on a rock and was just in the ocean, a huddle of wood by its base. He stared at if for a few minutes, somewhat a daze. The boat swam closer and he could begin to make out more the wreck. The rock with the sail now was clearer and he began to make out small details. Something glinted gold on one side and there were two green emeralds and Alfred was pretty sure there were a pair of boots by the bottom and - hold on, was that a survivor?

* * *

uuuhhhhh If you have questions, pm me or ask them in a review and I can answer in the next chapter for everyone to read? If you want a super quick reply message me on tumblr - my user is 'serious_tunas'. Other than that, thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to Blaze_toucan for proof reading!

Thank you A True Shipper for reviewing! c: I love pirates settings too, which is one of the many reasons I wrote it like this! heh

* * *

Yelling from behind him startled him out of his musings – Gilbert or Ludwig must have spotted the wreck and alerted the others. Looking around, Alfred spotted Antonio on deck and ran up to him. The captain already knew what his first-mate was going to say and immediately cut him off. "No" he said, crossing his arms.

Alfred let out an almost whimper. "Why? Someone is out there!" he exclaimed.

"Alfred. I-" Antonio started, but cut himself off. He seemed to think for a moment before speaking again. "You know how I would love to help, Alfred, but there are sirens out there! That's the whole reason most of the crew is hiding in the ship!"

Alfred snorted. "You can _hear_ that the sirens aren't calling us. Antonio we have to help! The dude doesn't deserve to die!" The captain sighed, rubbing one of his temples with a jewelled hand. "Are you positive you want to do this?"

Alfred nodded.

"You sure that you want to go to an uncharted island where sirens are potentially nesting?"

Alfred nodded again.

Antonio sighed in defeat. "…Fine. But if you go, then you have to bring Gilbert. Are you still sure?"

Alfred nodded, grinning.

A distant voice rang – "I am NOT going to that fucking death island with dork boy!"

Antonio smiled slightly, before looking at Alfred with a serious look. "Make sure to bring a bright lantern. Apparently Sirens don't like bright light" he said. "Though, I can't say for sure that it will actually work. It's just the whisperings of other pirates." Alfred nodded, turning his head as they were approached by the Albino.

"Do I get a choice? 'Cause I really don't want to go?" he grumbled. Alfred shook his head. "Nope! But don't worry! We'll be super quick!" he reassured.

Gilbert snorted, shaking his head. "Guess we better go then." He murmured with apprehension.

* * *

The rowing boat travelled silently in the night, the gentle glow of the lantern creating a lone firefly lost in a haunted forest. The two pirates were as quiet as the waves, Gilbert rowing and Alfred keeping an eye on the tousling waves, his lantern skimming the surface of the water. The old, worn pirate ship loomed behind, almost as if she were keeping an eye on the tiny rowing boat as it swam to the island. The anchor was lowered into the depths of the gloomy ocean to stop her from swimming away.

"How far?" Gilbert asked, pausing to catch his breath. Alfred shrugged, waving his lantern towards the Albino.

"Five minutes, probably less. Antonio made us row super far, he could of taken us closer" he said, giving a half glare at the ship.

Gilbert grumbled under his breath, something along the lines of "making _me_ row, asshat"

The small boat rowed on a little longer before they once again stopped, but this time, they both got out and moored it to the stump of a once great rock. The two pirates peeped round the corner of the stump, glancing at the wreck. Most of the fire was gone and only a little was left to illuminate a small part of the figure. "Still there" Alfred whispered, glancing at Gilbert. He nodded in response, before frowning and smacking a hand quietly against his mouth. Alfred took that as a clear 'stay quiet, dipshit.'

The two crept forward, trying to stay quiet with the crunching sand beneath their feet. Nothing seemed to be around, and Gilbert mumbled "fire must of scared em' off. Turn the lantern on".

Alfred nodded, turning the small light on. "Do we call out or…?" he asked, quietly. Gilbert shrugged, and they walked a few steps further before Alfred called out gently. "Um – excuse me sir?" There was no response; the man seemed to be frozen into a statue.

"Nothing. Let's get closer" Gilbert reluctantly replied as they edged closer.

They were nearing the wreck now, and although only a small flame was left he could feel the deep bath of heat from the charcoal that was left over. "Please say they are actually alive" Alfred whispered. Antonio would probably kick him off the ship if they went out to an island for nothing, which was understandable even though Alfred would not like it to happen. The man was now clear to see – he had dirty blond hair and deep green eyes that brought the smell of mint leaves to mind. Alfred was pretty sure shadows from the fire were messing up his face, but it looked like he had humongous eyebrows.

When the two pirates got a few meters away, they stopped. The man hadn't responded to them approaching, and was staring hard at the wreck. "Dude, you alive?" Alfred asked. He didn't reply. Alfred took a few steps closer, reaching out a hand. "Hello?" Alfred called out. Still no response. Alfred's hand touched the man's shoulder. It was an instant reaction, like it was a snap back to reality for him. He looked Alfred, at first with confusion which soon turned into surprise. He jumped up, a bit wobbly on this feet, but almost looked perfectly healthy. "He lives!" Gilbert said, almost singing the words. "Now, can we PLEASE get the hell off of this island?" Alfred continued to look at the man, ignoring Gilbert.

"So. Um, what's your name? I'm Alfred" Alfred said, holding out a hand. The man looked at Alfred for a second, hesitating, before shaking his hand.

"I'm Arthur…" he said, slowly.

* * *

Updates will be about once a week! Work and school takes up alot of time and I don't always have time to work on the next chapter 0n0


	3. Chapter 3

A True Shipper - Thanks for reviewing again ;u; I find it kinda hard to put their personalities in, so its nice to know that Gilbert is like Gilbert

Also thanks for spotting bad grammar c: 3

Thanks for Blaze_toucan for proof reading :*

* * *

The ride back to the boat seemed to take much longer, and Alfred wasn't sure whether it was the awkward silence or the fact that the boat was now heavier with three people. Still, they returned to the ship safe and sound. Alfred wasn't quite sure what to make of Arthur. He hadn't said anything else, and spent most of the journey looking nervous – eyes darting around and looking at everything aside from Gilbert and Alfred. The tedious journey finally came to an end as they boarded the ship where Antonio stood waiting; Alfred could see the captains' worried look from a mile away.

The captain sighed, looking over the pirates before shaking his head. "So, this is it?" he said, looking over Arthur. "He's so skinny. Do you think he'll be strong enough to work? I don't want him hitching a free ride on my ship"

Alfred shrugged. "I'm sure we'll find something for him to do. Looks like the poor thing could do with some food, I'm pretty sure I could pick him up with one arm!"

This sparked something fiery in Arthur's eyes, and the man suddenly stood up straight. "Excuse me, but I'm not some 'thing' that exists to burden you! I never asked to be… rescued and I most certainly didn't need to be saved!" he said, looking fierce.

Gilbert let out an airy chuckle. "Sorry, we can return you to the sirens if you want. Even they didn't want to eat you, I'm sure you'll be fine" he said sarcastically.

"No!" Arthur replied, quickly and loudly. "No. I do not understand why I wasn't... eaten. I can't explain it. I can and will work if you want me too, but for Gods sake - don't bloody strand me!"

The boat was silent for a moment before Alfred spoke up. "Where are you from, anyway? How did you ship crash?" He asked, a curious look growing on his face.

Arthur let out a short sigh before replying. "The boat was... Um... There was more than one siren and... You can guess the rest" he said, looking sad. "Luckily I didn't know the crew - I had paid them to transport me to land."

"Where were you headed?" Antonio asked.

"Um... Towards the land?"

"Which port...?"

"..."

"..."

"... The nearest one, where I presume you are currently headed..."

Antonio stared at him for a moment.

"Maybe he's a criminal. He sounds like a criminal." Gilbert reasoned.

"Hey – the does the dude even look like a criminal?" Alfred voice rose in protest, but was ignored by the two.

Antonio nodded. "A criminal with a high bounty, on the run?"

"Sounds possible" Gilbert nodded. "And _useful_ "

before he made his final decision. "Fine. He is going in the cell" he ordered. Protests from both Arthur and Alfred rose up, but were very much outnumbered by the rest of the crew even as Arthur was seized, restrained and dragged down below the deck.

* * *

Arthur was roughly thrown into one of the small cells located in the belly of the ship. The room was dark and uncomfortable and the only furnishings came in the form of some furs to sleep on and a suspicious looking bucket. There were no windows and the walls had a thick coating of mould that hadn't been cleaned in decades.

"This is hardly a bed" he grumbled, kicking a fur with his foot. Gilbert, who had taken him down there, snorted. "Whatever. If you do have a bounty, I'm getting most of it since I collected you from that island" he gloated.

"I don't have a bounty!" Arthur protested. "You're an idiot for thinking I do!" His yelling was ignored though as the albino turned his back and left the room, leaving the blonde alone in the darkness.

* * *

Arthur just sat unmoving for a few hours, his hands tied awkwardly out in front of him. The moonlight shone through the small window and made his eyes almost glow. "Past midnight..." He mumbled. He shuffled forward, towards the door, glancing about the room. His hands had been tightly bound and the door was locked shut. He could see from the floor that the lock required a small key, and looked pretty hard to pick, even if he had the right tools. He sat back, crossing his legs and closing his eyes. He considered his options. They were soon nearing land, so he could always run when they got there.

The sudden sound of footsteps drew him out of his musings and he opened his eyes. The light of a lantern immediately drew his attention. A short man with brown hair had come down the stairs near the cell. He was looking a little fearful, but he was smiling.

"Ve, I thought you would be awake" he said. "My name is Feliciano. I help out in the kitchen sometimes. Ludwig likes to keep me out of trouble - he cares a lot." Arthur didn't say anything in response, but looked over the man with tired eyes. "I don't expect you to like me, it's ok" he smiled. "You shouldn't be down here, but Antonio believes you have a bounty and he needs the money for fixing the ship."

"I don't have a bloody bounty" Arthur muttered under his breath.

The Italian man nodded, looking a little sad. "I know. Antonio is running on false hope. He thinks you can help - but you cannot. Not in the way he thinks, at least" he said, shaking his head. "Either way, I can help you. Here - you haven't been fed." He dug around a bit in the bag he was holding before taking out a round object, which he then offered to Arthur through the bars of the cage. It was a small bread roll with some sort of herb on top, dark thin leaves that were quite long and gave off a smell like a pine forest. There was a chunk missing from the side, but it was mostly intact. Feliciano noticed his frown at the missing piece and grinned. "Gilbert checked it over before I came in, that's why the side is missing."

Arthur muttered a thank you and reached out with his bound hands to take the offering, but found that Feliciano had put his hand on top of Arthur's. "If you want to return the favour, come and find me. Just make sure no one catches you." He smiled, before standing up and beginning to walk away.

"Favour?" Arthur questioned. "What favour? It's just bread. I can't make you something in return."

Feliciano's distant voice responded so quietly that Arthur had to strain his ears to catch what he said. "I'm sure you'll enjoy the filling in the center Arthur~"

* * *

Updates will be around a week or more, I have GCSE's starting in two weeks

Thanks for reading c: I hope the next chapter is out soon


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for my editor for editing! I wrote most of this whilst in bed at 1am so please thank her for sorting out my rambles!

Thanks to Dangara2610, theholyanimeshrine (on tumblr) and A True Shipper for reviews!

I love you all! 3

* * *

Streams of sunlight streamed in through the small window creating a small pool of light in the center of the cell. The night had been restless, but just before dawn the gentle rocking of the ship had coaxed Arthur into a light sleep. However, as the sun started to rise the muffled yelling of pirates gradually increased in volume, rousing Arthur from his sleep with a groan.

He stared into space for a moment, recalling the events of last night before glancing at his shoe. He quietly nudged it off and shook it. A light clank sounded as a key fell out; a few bread crumbs following its descent to the floor. He picked it up, eyeing it sceptically before wiping it off on his trousers and taking the few short steps to his cell door. Holding his breath and hoping the Italian man from before hadn't tricked him; he inserted the key into the lock and turned it slowly. When a soft click sounded shortly after and the door swung open a few inches, Arthur smirked in triumph and slowly shut the door again, locking it in the process. It almost seemed wrong to remain imprisoned when his freedom was within his reach, but he needed to wait for the right time or risk being discovered.

* * *

It was a beautiful morning with barely a cloud in sight, putting the whole crew in a good mood and so as land gradually came into sight along the horizon, Alfred was practically vibrating with excitement. They would be spending a week on land – A few days cleaning the ship and doing repairs, then a few days to stock up on supplies and essentials. Everyone on the ship was rejoicing at the idea of a warm inn and clean clothes, the likes of which hadn't been experienced for weeks due to their long voyage. Antonio was also on the lookout for a new chef. Feliciano was their current chef and while he was brilliant at the job, he was struggling to cater for their growing crew.

The boat was humming. Everyone was running about, checking what needed replacing and repairing, running the ship and packing their bags as the shore gradually crept up on them.

Alfred was currently in his room packing a small bag for the inn. They couldn't stay on the boat due to the cleaning and the cleansing that was going to occur - Antonio was hiring a warlock to enchant the ship. Magic was rare, so it would be expensive, but their wards were already over a year old and running thin. They kept away beasts like kelpies and Selkies.

Alfred leaned back, satisfied with the small bag that he had prepared. He swung it over his shoulder, trotting up to the deck. Antonio and Gilbert were chatting animatedly on the quarter deck, watching the island they were to dock at as they sailed closer. At the sight of his first mate, the captain turned to Alfred. "Alfred! Buenos días!" He yelled, giving a small wave. The sun had just risen fully over the horizon, and was casting a yellow-y glow over his face.  
Alfred jogged over, waving back. "Good mornin' to you to!" he smiled back. "Ready for docking?"  
"Si, of course! Gilbert and I have been prepared since last night." He replied with an easy grin, which soon fell. ''Have you checked on the prisoner? _Someone,_ decided to ditch his duty" he said, throwing an angry glare at the Albino, but the anger was quickly dissolved in the excitement. "Nevermind. It's not like he can escape anyway"

* * *

It was around midday when the boat docked onto the small town that buzzed with pirates. After the anchor lowered and the boat fully stopped, Alfred practically flew off of the boat and onto the land. "Calm down. We need to book an inn before we do anything else" Antonio said, appearing behind Alfred from the ship. "We also need someone to guard the ship."

"I'll do it!" A voice yelled down from the ship. Gilbert was leaning over the railings. Antonio acknowledged this in the form of a thumbs-up.

"You trust him?" Alfred questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Antonio shook his head. "No, but no one else would willingly volunteer."

* * *

They arrived at the inn about 10 minutes later. Feliciano had joined them along the way, the rest of the crew exploring the two. The brunet was quickly distracted by the kitchen, wandering in to make conversation with the chefs. The inn was fairly quiet, aside a few customers quickly chatting in the corner. There was a blond haired man by the bar, making a round of drinks.

Antonio, followed by Alfred, wandered over. "Is it ok if we rent a few rooms for a week?" he asked, grabbing his purse which was tied to his belt. The barman looked up at them with a smile, nodding. "Oui monsieur! Je m'appelle Francis! Et toi?" He said holding out a hand.

Antonio shook Francis's hand, and with a concentrated face replied "Je m'appelle…. Antonio?" he waved a hand at Alfred, struggling to find the words to introduce him. "Alfred."

Francis looked between the two, then grinned, this time replying in English. "Ah, pirates! I presume you are not accustomed to the local language, no?" he asked. The pirates shook their heads. "C'est bon! That is fine! How many rooms? We have three spare"

"We can take all three. How much for a week?" he asked, opening his sack of coins. "I have 20 gold, if it's enough?"

Francis thought for a moment, before holding out a hand. "It will do, if you don't wreck the place and clean up after yourselves" he smiled. "Breakfast and dinner comes free with the rooms. You can buy lunch or visit a stall in the market."

The mention of food lit up Alfred face, and he grinned. "Thank you!" he said. "We can find our own way to our rooms if you give us a key."

Francis nodded, digging his hand into his apron pocket and producing three keys. "They have the door numbers on. Make sure you don't lose any, or I'll have to charge you extra. We lost the spares."

* * *

Antonio and Alfred were just making their way out of the inn when Gilbert came rushing up to them. He stopped to catch his breath, bending over and resting his hands on his knees. He was drenched in water and a small puddle was forming at his feet as it dripped off.

"You ok dude?" Alfred asked, a concerned-but-curious look on his face. Gilbert shook his head, standing up straight.

"That fucking prisoner!" he yelled, throwing his arms up in the air. The captain and his first mate exchanged a confused glance, before looking back at the Albino.

"He pushed me off of the boat!" Gilbert yelled, putting a hand on his hip, the other hand flicking some water off of his face that had trailed down from his hair.

Antonio frowned, saying "So he got away?"

Gilbert nodded. "Must've picked the lock, caught me off-guard. I thought I saw a flying fish!"

The captain opened his mouth and then closed it again, looking at the floor with a deep sigh. "Gilbert…"

* * *

You can probably tell that I rushed to type this U3U I may have to put this onto a short haitus, just whilst exams are on. So about, 6 weeks? Thats short right? I will try and write during my spare days but I have a ton of revision and around 20 tests left before I have weeks free again. There may be another chapter popping up in two weeks because I have a week spare, but that might be it until summer officially starts U3U

I also noticed a few ways to improve my writing, mostly linking scenes properly and making scenes longer, I seem to have a thing for switching places a lot. So, perhaps in the next chapter I will have more control over my paragraphs?

Anyway, thanks for reading! Big smooches for you all! :3


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